Beer and song at Maltese Oktoberfest

Crowds cheered in the true spirit of Bavaria last night as the Oktoberfest Malta Festival got underway in the Brewery Gardens, in Qormi with performances by Joe Demicoli, Enzo Guzman and the Val Valente band, presented by Claire Agius.

For the younger generation, Colourblind, Scar and Bay Radio's DJ Jonathan Abel made it a night to remember at the 1565 House of Rock, a second stage.

Tonight's programme is no less animated. Malta Song for Europe winners Claudette Pace and Fabrizio Faniello will take the main stage, while Joe id-Dulli and Veronique Farrugia will do their thing as only they can.

At the 1565 House of Rock, Bay Radio DJ Jonathan Abel will energise the crowd with the best of contemporary tunes, before Hiddensun and Corkscrew bring the stage alive with a non-stop line-up of hits from the Maltese charts.

There will be beer-drinking, woodcutting and sausage-eating competitions while a children's area, also known as the Power Fruit Planet, situated near the main stage, provides amusement for the young. A huge selection of food stalls will serve a mouth-watering spread of international food.

The Malta Oktoberfest 2004, at the Lowenbrau Brewery in Qormi, opens its doors from 6 p.m. until late.